The State Government says Year Seven will move to high school in Queensland schools from 2015.

Premier Anna Bligh has made the announcement at a Secondary Schools Principals Conference in Brisbane and on the internet site YouTube this morning.

The Government says the restructure to cost about $620 million.

In next week's budget, $409 million will be included for capital works at state and private schools.

The change will bring Queensland's education system into line with other states.

Ms Bligh says 20 schools, still to be named, will trial the move in two years.

The State Government will create junior secondary, which will bring together years 7, 8 and 9 in state schools to provide appropriate pastoral support systems

Education Minister Cameron Dick says 550 new classrooms will be built and another 880 will be refurbished in the state system.

"That's a significant investment but one that we think we can manage well within that period of time," he said.

Another $213 million will be spent in other areas like teacher training.

'More independent'

Ms Bligh says moving Year Seven to high school will give Queensland students the best possible education.

She says the move builds on the introduction of the prep year in 2007 and trials will begin in two years.

Ms Bligh says there are a number of reasons for the change.

"Because we lifted the entry age of schooling with our prep year, more than half of our children in year 7 will be turning 13 by 2015," she said.

"As children become teenagers, they become more independent and they're ready for that next challenge that a high school environment can bring them."

Ms Bligh says the Government is not rushing into it.

"We're giving ourselves four years to get ready for it - to build the new classrooms that will be needed, to give our teachers the extra support and training, and to gradually implement this change," she said.

The president of the Queensland Secondary Principal's Association, Norm Fuller, has welcomed the decision.

He says high school is the most appropriate place for Year Seven students.

"Those students coming from primary school at the moment - they've had seven years," he said.

"These students would've had eight years in the primary schooling.

"They are more than ready to start to move into the secondary sector and start to get their teeth into some of the more depth of knowledge around specific subjects and specific skills."

Union support

Queensland Teachers Union (QTU) president Steve Ryan says his members will work with the Government to roll out the changes.

"We're actually pleased that they're going to trial this in a small number of schools," he said.

"That's very important to see what those initial problems might be.

"It's better delaying something than rushing it out and I think those timelines that have been announced can be reached."

QTU deputy general secretary Kate Seed has welcomed the time frame, saying it will allow teachers to have effective professional development.

"We obviously will be watching this carefully," she said.

"One of the key things we'll be giving is an oversight to ensure there's no stripping of resources from primary schools who might lose students because they're going to year seven and making sure that primary schools continue to be resourced appropriately for the needs of their students."

Fees to rise?

The Government says private schools will receive some state government funding to cover the cost of the transition.

But Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) spokesman David Robertson says it will not be enough and student fees may have to rise.

"The funding provided by the State Government is probably not going to cover the full cost of it," he said.

"Parents will probably be paying now - it's very difficult to say whether fees will increase at this stage or by how much."

However, Mr Robertson says the move will be good for students.

"We have always supported that this change be made for educational reasons," he said.

"It will align Queensland with the other states and territories and obviously will also facilitate the implementation of the Australian curriculum in Queensland."

The Queensland Council of Parents and Citizens Association (QCPCA) has also welcomed the move.

QCPCA president Margaret Leary says a number of parents have been calling for the change.

"Some of them feel that they're a bit older and kids are a bit more mature these days," she said.

"The whole middle schooling has been aimed at those children and so they're probably better placed in that high school setting and that was just a feeling that they had."

Ms Leary says it will bring local students in line with those interstate.

"It'll give that national consistency as well so - we talk in terms of NAPLAN and there's lots of talk about that and the Australian curriculum is coming - so that will probably give us a more level playing field as well in comparison to other states," she said.

Rural children

But remote families say they are disturbed by the announcement because it could mean children as young as 11 are forced to live away from home at boarding school.

Isolated Childrens Parents Association (ICPA) Queensland president Lorraine McGinnis says parents are worried about the extra cost for boarding schools, as well as the impact on children.

"That's where it really hits us in the stomach," she said.

"The youngest of these children at the beginning of the Year 7 year could be 11 years and 7-months-old and be looking forward to six years away from that.

"Nobody can compensate for the emotional burden that has on children and families."

However, Ms Bligh says a taskforce will look at the implications of the moving Year 7 students to high school for Queensland's 45 boarding schools.

Ms Bligh says remote students who attend boarding schools will be eligible for subsidies and the taskforce will look at extra assistance.

"We accept that in addition to classrooms, those boarding schools will need some assistance in expanding their accommodation capacity," she said.

"We will establish a taskforce with the independent and Catholic sectors that will report to Government in November on boarding school implications and we will be looking at that in the mid-Year review of the Budget."